Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-11-04
"REMINISCENCES OF PUBLIC MEN.
BY BEN: pERLEY PooRE

| CoIGeu ny Glle NC" Iolh AlSAt 0tiai VI,
came on. The Albany Burgess Corps
was also present with full ranks. The
military escort was the First Regiment
Of Massachusetts Volunteers, then
commanded by Col. George Tyler
Bigelow, and The City Grays. Capt
Newell A. Thompson, was detailed as
especial escort of the invited guests
from the State House to the dinner in
Faneuil Hall.
Three days afterwards, Hugh S. LIE
care, who succeeded Mr.. Webster as
Secretary OF State, died in Boston al
the residence OF his friend George
Ticknor, and was buried at Mount Au
burn. He was perhaps one OF the best
of the very best in our country. Tle
wonderful extent and accuracy of his
reading, the strength Of his memory,
his great natural capacity and talents,
had enabled him to amass a store OF
learning and knowledge very seldom
the acquisition of one man.
John Barney, who was son of Com
modore Barney, represented the Balti-
more District OF Maryland in the Miro
teenth Congress, 1s25-29, and from
that time until his death on the Goth
OF January, 1867, he was one, of The
patriarchs Of Washington society, mer-
iting his sobriquet "Beau Barney" He
must have been over seventy years Of
age when he died, and to the last was
what he had been for more than half a
century, the glass Of fashion, if not the
mold of form. He never affected the
society OF gentlemen, and whether rid
ing in his carriage, or walking or sit
ting, he was sure to be basking in the
radiance of "fair womans smiles" He
was uncommonly ugly in his appear
ance: he was very round-shouldered,
probably the stoop of age; his head
was but partially covered with dyed
hair; his teeth were false, and every
vestige of nature about him that was
Visible was in state of repair; but his
dress was elaborate and dushing to the
last degree. He was never seen out OF
doors without o coat or cloak of the
latest style, his hands in the finest
white kids, from one of which dangled
the slender cane of an exquisite. His
cravat and vest were always Of the most
conspicuous colors, and when he was
fully made up, with hat brushed to a
gloss on his head or in his hand, and
he stepped forth from his dressing.
room conqnering and to conquer, he
might readily have been taken by anv
one who did not see his face or hear
his cracked voice for young man OF
twenty, instead of septuagenarian
He was invited everywhere, of course,
for he was a man OF considerable re-
finement, was very emloresse in his man
her to ladies' had an inexhaustible fund
Of agreeable small talk, danced in every
set and all night, if his special friends
would keep him company; had known
every fashionable star, male Or female,
that had been in the ascendant for
fifty years had been in habits of So
cial intercourse with the most promi-
nent public men to be found in Wash
ington society for the same period, and
by making it his constant study, knew
better than most mon how to please
ladies of all ages, and especially the
young. The pleasure which he found
in this kind OF life, and the prudence
which he exercised in the indulgence
of it, undoubtedly contributed to his
length Of days, and to that unusual
elasticity OF spirits which made him
one of the marvels of our time
With the advance Of years Barney
became irritable, especially in his in
tercourse with men, which compelled
him to one or two bloodless appeals to
the code of honor. One of these af-
fairs occurred with Sartiges, the
French Minister, shortly after that
| functionary arrived in this country. Ii
was one of Sartiges' favorite amuse-
ments of a Sunday morning to shoot
rats from the window of his rooms a,
the hotel at which he was staying in
| Washington, TO the extreme annoyance
| of Mr.. Barney, who was STAYING at the
same house. The latter gentleman
remonstrances did not produce the de
sired effect upon the sporting propensi
ties of the French Minister, who fell
that he could better afford to quarrel
with Barney than to cease quarreline
with the rats. During the irritation
produced by this disregard of his com
fort on the part of Sartiges, the latter
gentleman entered club in Baltimore
of which Barney was an officer, with ;
cigar in his mouth, and even went into
| VIC OIuWluSS5 -ICOHl WITHOUT removing 1t
Barney observed it, and remarked tina
no gentleman would enter a drawing
room with cigar in his mouth. Thi
led to somewhat offensive reply, anc
challenge from Barney was the conse
quence. Sartiges declined to tgh
him, by advice of Barney's friends al
we'll as his own, on the ground that hi
eccentricities We're such as to exemp
him from some Of the responsibilities o
his position. The consequence wa
that Barney took an appeal to the pub
lie through the press, and thus til
matter ended. About the same tim
Barney got into difficulty with Floy,
Rogers, of Baltimore, and challenge,
him, for some imaginary al1ront. TIL
challenge was declined, for the sam
reason as the one previously sent t
Sartiges.
Boxing the Ears.